to change the station…

My great friend, Carolyn McClain, knows how difficult it is to create anything which is both entertaining and effective, especially if the ‘anything’ is selling a product.

Carolyn created and produced the most emotionally impactful TV spots ever run for Radio, StorySongs.

The sad part is, they were for Radio, which has never given two hoots about the quality of its message, or its image — only the cost.

Carolyn has moved on from Radio, as most of those who have options do, and I’m just grateful that we formed our friendship before that happened. When Carolyn sent THIS STORY to me, she knew I would appreciate it.

What does your station do systemically and daily to acknowledge and save the creative ideas produced within your walls?

How often do you and your staff spend real time thinking about how the message your station represents — your story — is received? What is its emotional impact? Is it coherent? How does it mirror the reason for your station’s existence?

We continue to spend vasts amounts of resources obsessing about song rotations and PPM minutiae, trapped by the urgent and ignoring the singly important.

I think you’ll give your station a real edge if you simply start thinking about what you project and the ways you can shape that and make it better, as a team.

It’s not a one-time thing, not a weekly brainstorming session, or quarterly consultant review. It’s an every day, every waking moment focus on your message — and then finding a simple way to capture, save and acknowledge every idea, because some might work better months, or years from now.

Know anyone in Radio who thinks on that kind of timeline?